Seven countries that receive the bulk of EU asylum applications have called on Athens to do more to stop illegal immigrants from entering through Greece, with some threatening to reintroduce border controls.

Germanyand Austria said Thursday that they could reintroduce border controls if Athens fails to take stronger action to keep illegal immigrants from entering the European Union through Greece.

German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich told reporters in Brussels that this was one option that was being considered.

"The question is still open on what happens when a country is not in a position to sufficiently safeguard its borders, as we are currently experiencing with Greece," Friedrich said following a meeting with his counterparts from six other EU countries.

Friedrich continues in his attempts to whip up xenophobia and ride the waves. This after he 'revealed' the results of a study of immigrants his ministry commissioned in the Bild rag, only to be found quoting it out of context to paint the devil of the Muslim Menace on the wall.

I'm not European but the next time I get into a squabble with someone from Europe, I am going to tell them that they are very bad at doing homework. This appears to be an oft-invoked insult that's useful on almost any occasion.

Criticism of French Prime Minister Francois Fillon for disparaging comments he made about the Jewish and Muslim ritual slaughter of animals has led him to backtrack, meeting with leaders from both faiths.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon was to meet with Muslim leaders on Thursday to address controversy surrounding his public criticism of the ritual slaughter of animals for kosher and halal meat.

Fillon's meeting with the Muslim community comes a day after he met with Jewish leaders on the issue, attempting to assure them that he did not foresee banning halal and kosher slaughter practices in France.

Germany's former president has been unable to escape controversy even after he stepped down over a scandal three weeks ago. His four living predecessors are set to stay away from his official farewell ceremony.

Controversy continued to surround former German President Christian Wulff on Thursday in the hours leading up to a torch-lit military parade to officially bid him farewell from office.

His four living predecessors in the post - Walter Scheel, Richard von Weizsäcker, Roman Herzog and Horst Köhler - have all declined to attend the ceremony, as has his designated successor, Joachim Gauck. Leading members of the opposition Social Democrats and the Green Party have also said they will not attend.

She was seen as a politician with little chance of a future: dowdy and without much of a political background. But Angela Merkel made the most of her chances and became one of the world's most powerful women.

There is hardly a "homo politicus" in German post-war history who has been more underestimated than the pastor's daughter from East Germany. Not very telegenic, undogmatic, highly pragmatic - these are some of the phrases often used to describe the German chancellor.

BRUSSELS - The European Parliament can make or break laws in the EU but is considered something of an irrelevancy among the general public, something its new chief wants to change through some old-fashioned confrontation.

In the job for a little under two months and finding it an "enormous challenge" to be "prudent and impartial," Martin Schulz says that his institution is always at risk of disappearing in the public eye.

Coming two days after several EU leaders and top EU officials congratulated Vladimir Putin on winning elections despite the fact international monitors said they were rigged, the discussion painted a frightening picture of life in the European Union's biggest neighbour.

Conservative deputy Dom Raab described what happened to Magnitsky in 2009 after he blew the whistle on senior tax officials who embezzled $230 million of state funds

REUTERS - French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday he would fight with everything he has to win a second term but will bow out of politics if he loses an April-May election.

Sarkozy, who is badly lagging Socialist challenger Francois Hollande in opinion polls six weeks before the first round of voting, said Hollande's lack of ministerial or international experience was a problem at a time of economic turmoil.

"I worry when I look at the Socialist candidate's programme ... and I worry about this dearth of experience in such a troubled period. But if the French people do not put their faith in me, do you really think I would carry on in politics? The answer is no," Sarkozy told RMC radio.

The number of people officially classed as homeless in England has jumped by 14% - the biggest increase for nine years - as what charities have described as a "perfect storm" of rising repossession rates and unemployment drives thousands more families into temporary accommodation.

After the CAC trigger, the total participation rate for all bonds will be 95.7%; 20bn in foreign law bonds were also tendered; CACs are likely to trigger a CDS payout; the deal still raises the possibility of law suits from hedge funds; ECB has begun to re-accept Greek bonds as collateral in refinance operations; Greek youth unemployment climbs to over 50% for the first time; the total unemployment rate now stands at 21%; as unemployment in the eurozone periphery rises, Germany shuts out foreigners from welfare entitlements; Michel Barnier shys away from a legislative proposal to involve investors in the resolution of banks; Nicolas Sarkozy says that he would leave politics altogether if he were to lose the elections; estimate suggest that VAT fraud costs France 10bn a year, 17bn in Germany and 24bn in Italy; Mario Draghi says: we have done our bit, it is now up to governments; ECB governing council leaves interest rates unchanged, but raises inflation forecast; Stephan Balling of Borsenzeitung comes close to calling Draghi a liar for saying that his relations with Jens Weidmann were cordial; Philip Plickert says ECB is now on course to miss its inflation target for the second year running, and is now losing credibility; Mario Monti, meanwhile, has completed his first 100 days as Italy's prime minister, with signs of growing tensions inside his coalition.

There are three stories about the euro crisis: the Republican story, the German story, and the truth. -- Paul Krugman

Alarmed by the rising unemployment rates in south-European countries, the German labour ministry instructed to stop Hartz-IV social transfers for EU immigrants, Spiegel online cites the Frankfurter Rundschau. Up until now, immigrants from 17 EU countries were eligible to unemployment benefits (Arbeitsgeld II) under the European Convention on Social and Medical Assistance (EFA). Germany revoked its EFA contract commitments with regard to welfare and unemployment benefits. Socialists and the employment agency critised the move.

Does this include people who have been making social security contributions while employed in Germany?

There are three stories about the euro crisis: the Republican story, the German story, and the truth. -- Paul Krugman

No. It's entirely for people who come to Germany in order to look for a job, but who haven't worked here before. It concerns a completely irrelevant number of cases. The aim of this proposal is to show that our benefits are too high, of course.

The right of residence for more than three months remains subject to certain conditions. Applicants must:

either be engaged in economic activity (on an employed or self-employed basis);

or have sufficient resources and sickness insurance to ensure that they do not become a burden on the social services of the host Member State during their stay. The Member States may not specify a minimum amount which they deem sufficient, but they must take account of personal circumstances;

or be following vocational training as a student and have sufficient resources and sickness insurance to ensure that they do not become a burden on the social services of the host Member State during their stay;

or be a family member of a Union citizen who falls into one of the above categories.

Residence permits are abolished for Union citizens. However, Member States may require them to register with the competent authorities within a period of not less than three months as from the date of arrival. Proof of registration will be issued immediately on presentation of:

an identity card or valid passport;

proof that the above conditions are complied with (see Article 9 of the Directive on the proof required for each category of citizen). Union citizens engaged in training must show, by means of a statement or any other means, that they have sufficient resources for themselves and for the members of their families to ensure that they do not become a burden on the social services of the host Member State. This will be sufficient to prove that they comply with the resources condition.

Family members of Union citizens who are not nationals of a Member State must apply for a residence permit for family members of Union citizens. These permits are valid for five years from their date of issue.

(my emphasis)

There are three stories about the euro crisis: the Republican story, the German story, and the truth. -- Paul Krugman

The two most orthodox German newspapers in monetary policy terms, Börsenzeitung and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, give Mario Draghi a very critical review for yesterday's post governing council press conference. Börsenzeitung's Stephan Balling comes close to calling Draghi a liar when he comments the ECB president's claims that his relations with Jens Weidmann is ,,excellent", that the Bundesbank is not isolated in the governing council and that the discussions about the 3y LTRO had been consensual is in the past - despite the Bundesbank's claims that the opposite is the case. He criticizes Draghi for not mentioning that Weidmann and Jürgen Stark were against loosening the collateral framework. Balling says that the credibility of the Bundesbank is much higher than that of the ECB and that therefore it was more likely that the German central bank has told the truth than the ECB.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung's Philip Plickert harshly criticizes Draghi because the staff projections yesterday revealed that the ECB will miss its 2.0% inflation target for the second year in a row in 2012. ,,For Germany, the real interest rate of minus 1.4% is much too low", Plickert argues. ,,Citizens will ask themselves what Draghi stands for: Is it his primary goal to save states and banks with cheap money? Or is the ECB's primary goal still price stability? What counts are deeds, not words", he writes.

There are three stories about the euro crisis: the Republican story, the German story, and the truth. -- Paul Krugman

The following is the trailer from a Greek political documentary titled "Lessons from the Vikings". In it the President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, explains his intervention on behalf of the interests of icelanders during the crisis. He seems to be the last European official to believe in something that can be meaningfully be called Democracy: